Of Magical Fountains and De-Aged Demigods
by I'mHalfSickOfShadows
Summary: Nico was in the middle of a self-imposed quest when he finds a fountain and a goddess makes him fall in out of spite. That was no ordinary fountain, though... what happened? Percico. One-Shot.


**Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.**

* * *

Nico walked further down the narrow path, cursing the tree branches that clawed at his exposed skin. There wasn't really a path per se, but he liked to think that there was. He liked to think he was making progress.

He was currently in the middle of a forest in a remote part of Europe, whose name he didn't even bother finding out. The son of Hades was looking for a plant that some claimed didn't even exist. But despair had driven him to impose this quest upon himself, and he needed to find it.

The Ghost King figured that the best place to search would be in the Ancient Lands, and as soon as he'd shadow travelled to the continent he felt an aura. Not the aura of a living thing, mind you, he would've been able to tell if that was the case. There was a trace of something ancient and powerful, so it certainly fit the description of what he wanted. He decided to follow it.

His search (which had to be done mostly on foot or other means of transport much slower than shadow travelling, unfortunately) took him across many countries, and he cringed when he had to go through Croatia and Greece again.

This was the third month of his quest. Hazel had started to IM him more frequently, as if afraid he was hurt. She was probably freaking out already, their last call had been six days ago. He decided to call her that evening. It wasn't his fault he was going so slowly, the "trail" was hard to follow. Nobody knew what he was after, and he planned on letting it stay that way. He didn't want anyone to try and change his mind.

But right now the aura grew stronger. He was close, he could feel it. Literally only a few feet ahead. He quickened his pace, eager to finally achieve his goal. The forest wasn't as thick as before, Nico wasn't getting scratched anymore. Then he stepped into a clearing. He looked around, expecting to see the mythical plant, but there was only a fountain there: it was made from the purest marble, and beautifully decorated with intricate carvings. The water looked clean and refreshing, and the fountain looked deep enough for a grown man to bathe in it.

Nico took a few steps forward, until he could see his reflection on the rippling water. There was no mistaking it, the aura definitely emanated from this fountain. He felt tempted to drink from it, but his years as a demigod taught him to not be so stupid if he wanted to keep living. As innocent as the white marble made it look, there was something ominous about it. He decided to leave and turned around to do so, only to slip on a rock (he could have sworn it hadn't been there before) and fall right in.

* * *

Hazel was done waiting. It had been a week, a whole week since she'd contacted her brother. And she could feel it in her bones that something was wrong. He was alive, she knew that much due to her parentage, but he wasn't ok. As detached as he was he'd never gone that long without calling her.

She decided to ring the alarm and form a team to go on a quest to rescue Nico. Her chosen ones were, predictably, the other Seven of the prophecy and Reyna. Chiron had said that maybe it was unnecessary to have so many half-bloods on a single rescuing quest. Hazel reasoned that if something had managed to take a son of the Big Three down, they would need backup. The centaur allowed her to do as she wished after that.

They were all gathered in Cabin 13, with a map displayed on the wall that had pins showing where Nico had been to, based on the Iris Messages Hazel had gotten. They had gathered the supplies and loaded the Argo II, the only thing left to decide was the battle plan. Annabeth was going on about a catapult scheme in case the monsters were airborne when somebody knocked on the door.

Jason (who was every bit as worried as Hazel) opened the door ready to scream at whoever was interrupting their meeting only to come face to face with Hades, who was holding a bundle of rags. He stood there slack-jawed for a few seconds but got over it soon enough and bowed his head in respect.

"Lord Hades, to what do we owe the honor of your visit?" he asked.

The other half-bloods in the room hastily got to their feet to bow to the Lord of the Underworld as well.

"No need for formalities, son of Jupiter, this shall be quick. I understand that you are about to go on a search for my son." The demigods nodded, and he continued "There is no need for that. He isn't lost, he is right here."

"Where?" Hazel asked "I am going to give him the scolding of his life! I was worried sick!" she started towards Hades, as if expecting her brother to be hiding behind their father.

"No, Hazel, I don't think he is in any condition to listen to your scolding at the moment."

"Why? Is he hurt?"

"No, not really."

"Then where is he?" she asked again.

"Here." Hades said, handing her the bundle.

Hazel took it warily, not really understanding, until she looked inside and saw a sleeping toddler. He looked like he was around two years old, and had olive skin and jet black hair.

"How did this happen?" she asked as he others crowded around her to take a look.

"He came across Hebe's fountain. She disliked the fact that he found it in mere three months so made him fall into it out of spite. She did say it should wear off soon, but I can't be babysitting him. Since you are his sister, you should do it. Any objections?" her father replied. She shook her head and said:

"I'll take care of him. Thank you for bringing him to me, father."

Hades nodded in acknowledgement and turned to leave.

"Oh, one more thing" he said "you should probably have this." he waved his hand and a black diaper bag appeared "It'll make your life easier. It is enchanted and will give you any baby-related item you need. It should also work for when he gets older. Good bye and good luck." He disappeared in a wisp of smoke.

As soon as he was gone everybody surrounded Hazel and pressed closer to look at the sleeping baby.

"He's so cute!" Annabeth gushed.

"Definitely not as grumpy. Should we take a picture of him sucking his thumb for blackmail?" Leo asked only to get promptly smacked by Piper.

"Guys, be quiet!" Jason said "You're going to wake…" at that moment Nico began to stir "him. Well, I guess it doesn't matter now."

Nico sat up as well as he could in Hazel's arms, rubbing his tiny fists over his eyes. He yawned adorably and looked at the girl holding him. He tilted his head to the side. Then he asked:

" 'azel?"

She smiled widely and said:

"Looks like he has at least some of his memories!" Then she proceeded to talk in the tone people seem to have when speaking to babies "Yes, Nico, it's me!" she kissed his forehead, then his nose, then both his cheeks. He giggled happily, eyes sparkling with joy.

"He really is cute." Frank said, touching Hazel's shoulder. Nico didn't seem to like that, as he stopped giggling and glared at Frank. Well, as much as a baby can glare.

"Oh, Frank, it looks like he doesn't like you!" Leo mocked, only to get smacked once more.

"Nico is probably jealous or something." Annabeth said wisely "But he keeps it under control when he is actually rational. So right now he is just having the purest reaction to us."

"So if we want to know what Nico really thinks of us we should just pick him up?" Percy asked, intrigued.

"Pretty much" Annabeth confirmed "But there are a few things we have to write off as baby behavior, though."

"So Nico is jealous of Frank…" Leo mused "Give me him, I want to know what he really thinks of me!" he stuck out his arms and Hazel reluctantly handed Nico over.

The little Ghost King looked up at the latino and said his name softly.

"Ha! Get this, Hazel, he can actually say my name!" he stuck out his tongue at her, and she rolled her eyes.

"Yours is much easier to pronounce!" she protested.

"Details, details" he waved her off. He then began telling jokes, and by the end of it Nico was giggling happily once more.

"I knew it! He thinks I'm funny." Leo celebrated.

"Well, I want to go next!" said Reyna.

"Sure." Leo agreed and passed the baby onto her.

"Weina!" he squealed delighted, then began playing with the tip of her braid. She smiled down at him and said "Ok, who's next?"

"Me!" Piper stepped forward. But when Reyna tried to hand him over to the daughter of Aphrodite, Nico began to squirm in her hands, trying to get away from the Cherokee girl.

"Oh." Piper said, crestfallen "I guess he doesn't like me."

"No." Annabeth corrected "It looks like he's afraid of you." And sure enough, the baby was hiding his face in Reyna's chest, whimpering a bit. She did her best to calm him down, while Piper wondered:

"Afraid of me? Why?"

Annabeth shrugs "I don't know. But he's acting scared, that's for sure."

Reyna had succeeded in soothing the frightened baby and asked again:

"Who's next?"

"I'll go." Jason volunteered. He cradled the toddler in his arms, bouncing him slightly "Hey there, little guy, how're you doing?"

Nico smiled at him and answered with a bunch of incomprehensible baby babble.

"I guess he likes me, then. Who's next?"

"Me!" Annabeth steeped forward and took Nico into her arms. He stared up at her and then started shaking his head, eyes filling up with tears as he squirmed and reached for Jason again. The son of Jupiter obviously took too long since the tears evolved into sobs that shook his whole body. The other blond took the baby from a sad looking Annabeth and bounced him a bit trying to stop his crying.

"They broke up, you know" he whispered into the baby's ear, knowing it wouldn't really make a difference. After a couple of minutes Nico was quiet again.

"Now it's my turn! I'm the only one left, aren't I?" Percy said, reaching for the baby. Jason readied himself for another crying fit, but handed him over anyway.

"Hey there, Nico! How are you?" Percy asked.

Nico took Percy's face in his chubby hands and looked at him. The son of Poseidon smiled at the gesture; it seemed he was liked after all. Then the child's face scrunched up and tears started falling again. But it was different then from when he cried with Annabeth, Percy thought. This crying fit was a lot quieter, and seemed a lot more painful. That sorrowful look had no business being on a baby's face. Percy was about to hand him back to Jason, but the toddler snuggled into the green-eyed demigod's chest, hugging him fiercely even as he continued to cry.

"Ok…Annabeth, you're the baby behavior expert, what the hell does this mean?" he said, rubbing the toddler's back gently.

_That even though you hurt him he still loves you, idiot_. Jason thought but remained quiet. The daughter of Athena looked thoughtful, and then said:

"I don't know. This is a very weird reaction… it is almost like he…" she shook her head "no, that wouldn't make sense. Maybe this is about Bianca." she shrugged.

"Oh. He still blames me then." Percy said sadly.

"She was our sister, yes?" Hazel asked, and he nodded "Then if he still blamed you, why would he be hugging you like that? He would be angry, or try to get away, or even cry louder. But he isn't. I don't know what's up with him, but it looks like he is attached to you. Could you stay in my cabin for a few days and help me with him?"

"Sure." He looked down at Nico, who'd fallen asleep in the middle of their conversation "Ok, then. I'll go to my cabin to get what I'll need for the next few days and I'll inform Chiron of our situation. I don't think he'll object to us sleeping in the same cabin after he knows about it." He carefully handed the baby over to Hazel, and then left to the Big House.

By the time he came back, everybody else was gone and Hazel had already made up a stock of baby items in one of the nightstands. The son of Hades was sleeping peacefully in a bundle of blankets on the bed.

"I talked to Chiron, and he said it was ok and that if we needed anything to call him. He is even relieving us of our camp activities." He dropped the duffel bag full of his things on a bed across from Hazel's.

"First of all" she said "don't talk so loudly, unless _you_ want to have to put him back to sleep. Now, I talked to my father and it seems like Nico aged two years in one night. If he keeps aging at that rate, he'll be back to normal in…a week."

"Maybe as the time goes by he'll age faster."

"I hope so."

Despite their quiet voices, Nico started to wake up. He wriggled out of his blanket cocoon and sat on the bed. He spotted Hazel and said in a sleepy voice:

" 'azel, 'm 'ungwy"

"Aw! Isn't he cute?" she said as she picked up a bottle full of formula.

"Yeah, he is."

She picked him up and put the bottle to his lips. He eagerly grabbed it and started drinking the warm liquid, his eyes growing heavy as he got full. He was done in minutes. Before he could fall asleep again, he reached for the other demigod in the room, calling softly:

"Pewcy!"

Percy's heart melted on the spot, and he took Nico in his arms immediately. The baby sighed contently, snuggled closer to his chest and promptly fell asleep.

"Well, it looks like he's not going anywhere for a while. I think I'll take a nap too. Wake me up for dinner, ok?" he said as he curled up on his temporary bed, with Nico still holding on to him.

* * *

Loud crying woke him up. He panicked for a few seconds, thinking he'd accidentally hurt the baby, but his nose quickly told him the problem was something else. He glanced at the clock, and saw that he still had forty minutes until dinner. _Well, might as well change him and give him a bath. Maybe I'll take a shower too._ Percy thought.

But to his surprise, Nico wouldn't even let him take off his shirt, protesting furiously, maintaining a chant of "No! No! No!" Luckily for him Hazel walked in.

"Hazel, since your brother has issues with me removing his clothes, could you change him? And maybe give him a bath too; we still have time before dinner."

She nodded and took him into the bathroom, picking up supplies on the way.

The daughter of Pluto walked back into the room fifteen minutes later, holding a smiling (and clean!) little Ghost King. She handed him over and Percy was hit by the sweet smell of baby shampoo.

"Wow, he smells nice. Don't you, kiddo?" he proceeded to playfully sniff Nico's neck, making him giggle.

"While you sniff my brother, I'll shower, ok? Then you can go and we'll leave for dinner."

"Ok." Percy replied, not taking his eyes off Nico.

* * *

They got ready just in time. They took turns holding Nico so the other could get dinner, and got an extra plate full easy to chew food so that the toddler could eat more than just formula. They sat at the Poseidon table, and let the son of Hades sit on top of it so he could eat on his own. Nico told them he didn't like mangos by throwing the pieces at them. It seemed he disliked bananas as well, since a few slices came flying their way. Thankfully he seemed to like the other things in his plate, and started eating quietly.

"Ok, then. No bananas or mangos. Duly noted." Percy said, picking fruit out of his hair.

Right then Jason decided to drop by. Apparently not having to take care of someone allowed you to finish eating a lot sooner.

"Hey guys! How're you holding up?" he said, smiling.

"We're doing ok. But for some weird reason he won't let Percy undress him, so I'm stuck doing all the diaper changing and bathing." Hazel pouted.

Jason smiled like he knew something they didn't and said:

"I'm sure the baby phase won't last that much longer. Hades said the effects would wear off."

"My father told us he'd aged two years in one night, so tomorrow he should be four. No more diapers!" she said happily.

"Do you guys need any help?"

"No, man. We're good. Thanks, though." Percy said a little too quickly. _Huh,_ he thought, _that's weird. Why am I turning down help?_ He felt protective of the little guy. And he didn't feel like sharing either. He simply shrugged and accepted it, not dwelling on his reasons.

After dinner they decided to sleep early. It had been an eventful day. They tried putting Nico to sleep on a bundle of blankets on the floor (so he wouldn't fall down, or get squished in the middle of the night) but the boy kept crawling back to Percy. After the third time that happened, he gave up on putting the baby back in the nest they'd made and let him cuddle with him on the bed.

"He really likes you." Hazel noted, sounding a bit jealous.

"Yeah, I guess he does. I don't know why, though. He cried the first time I held him." He replied, carding his fingers through Nico's soft hair.

"Maybe we can ask him when he's normal again…" she said sleepily "Good night, boys. And Percy, don't crush my brother, please."

"Good night Hazel. And I'll try not to." He replied "Good night, Nico." He added softly, kissing his forehead.

* * *

"Percy! Percy! Percy!" called a voice beside him. He groaned, not wanting to wake up yet.

"Percy! I'm hungry!" the voice called again, and he could feel small hands shaking his shoulder.

He opened his eyes, only to see a slightly older Nico who was wearing… nothing but a sheet. Percy was in bed with a naked de-aged demigod. That was wrong in so many ways.

"Nico, what happened to your clothes?"

"They were getting small, so I took them off." He shrugged "Can we go get breakfast? Can we? Can I have pancakes? Oooh, and syrup!" he was chattering rapidly and excitedly, and Percy couldn't help but smile.

"Sure thing, little guy, but first you have to get some actual clothes. Then you have to wash your face and brush your teeth." He reached for the diaper bag and thought about clothes that would fit the child of the Underworld. He pulled out a shirt, pants, socks, underwear and even a pair of sneakers. All in the right size. Huh. Hades had been right, that diaper bag was a life saver!

"Ok, Nico, let's get you changed!" he grabbed the sheet covering the boy, but once more Nico refused to be naked in his presence, blushing intensely.

"No! Give me the clothes, I'll do it myself." Percy shrugged and handed him everything but the socks and shoes "And turn around!" the tiny voice demanded. He did so, and waited for a while.

"Ok, you can look now."

The son of Poseidon turned around, and saw that Nico had put his shirt on backwards, and his pants were crooked. He stifled a laugh and said:

"Good job! But can I fix your clothes? I won't take them off, I promise." Nico looked at him suspiciously for a second and then nodded. Percy made him tuck his arms inside his sleeves so he could turn the shirt around and fixed his pants. Then he put on the socks on his little feet and tied up his sneakers.

"There. All better. Now let's brush your teeth and we can go, ok?" he held out his hand for the smaller boy to hold. He stopped by the diaper bag to get an appropriate toothbrush and toothpaste for Nico, and headed into the bathroom.

They came out a few minutes later, and Percy decided it was time to wake up Hazel. It was a wonder she hadn't woken up already, with all the noise they'd made.

"Hazel? Hazel, wake up." the daughter of Pluto sat up, rubbing the sleep out of her golden eyes "We have to take Nico to have some breakfast. We're ready, only waiting for you" she nodded and started getting out of bed.

Nico grew impatient and tried to drag her out "Hazel! Hazel! I'm hungry, can you hurry up?"

She was fully awake now, and took in the sight of her brother.

"Oh my gods he's so big!" she gushed, hugging him and kissing his forehead. He laughed at that "Hazel, that tickles!" her curls were all over the place and were apparently very ticklish.

She released him and said "I'll be quick, ok? Just give me a couple of minutes."

Nico nodded, smiling, and sat on her bed, feet dangling above the floor.

"You stay right there, I can't go to breakfast on my PJs." Percy said, and removed his shirt.

Nico squealed and covered his face with his hands, cheeks flushing a bright red. "Percy! You can't do that!"

"Huh? Why not?"

"Because…because…just because!" replied the flustered little demigod.

"If it bothers you that much, just keep your eyes closed and I'll call you when I'm done, ok?"

Percy changed quickly, but noticed that every so often Nico would peek from between his fingers before covering his eyes again, blushing every time. He didn't understand that behavior, but wrote it off as being a Nico thing. Maybe kids from the 30's were naturally sensitive to nudity or something.

"Ok, I'm done, you can look now. Not that you haven't been already." He said with a smile.

His expression changed instantly when Nico looked shocked that he'd been caught, and his eyes were filling up with tears.

"I-I'm sorry…. I-I didn't mean to! D-don't be mad, please…" he said between sobs. He propped his small legs on the edge of the bed, and tucked his face into them, hugging his knees. His small frame shook with each heartbreaking sob, and Percy hurried to his side to comfort him, pulling him onto his lap.

"Hey, it's ok, I'm not mad…please don't cry!" Every time Nico cried it felt like someone was stabbing him. And he _was_ qualified to make _that_ analogy.

"You aren't?" the child looked up at him, wide eyes filled with hope.

"No, I'm not." He kissed his forehead gently. Nico giggled, then reached up and gave his cheek a sloppy kiss, blushing adorably.

Hazel came out of the bathroom and smiled at the scene. "My, my, aren't you boys close? Percy, turn around, I have to change."

"Oh, do you want me to wait outside?"

"No, I don't think it's necessary. After all, if you sneak a peek Frank will tear you to shreds!" she teased.

"I like to be unshreded, thank you very much." Percy huffed "So I'll just stare at that corner until you tell me you're good to go."

"Fine by me." Judging by the muffled sound of her reply, she was in the middle of taking off her shirt.

Percy remembered Nico's issue with people changing in front of him, and he went to warn the daughter of Pluto.

"Wait, Hazel, Nico…" he began.

"…is helping me get dressed. Isn't that adorable?" she interrupted.

"I guess it is." He said baffled. _She is his sister, that's why he isn't freaking out,_ he concluded.

"Ok, all done!"

"Let's get some breakfast then!"

* * *

They got to the dining pavilion and were surrounded by the other Seven and Reyna.

"Wow, he' so big!" Piper gushed.

"I know, right? That's what I said!" Hazel agreed.

"He looks too big to be just four. Nico, how old are you?" Jason interjected.

"I'm five!" he replied, clearly proud of himself.

"You're all grown up then!" Reyna said amused.

"Uh-huh!" was the excited reply.

"Let's go get some breakfast, we can all sit at the Zeus table." Jason said taking Nico by the hand "What do you want for breakfast?" he asked.

Wrong question. Nico's face lit up and he started talking a mile a minute "Oh, oh, oh! Can I have pancakes? With chocolate chips? And syrup? Please, please, pleeeaase?"

Jason smiled and led the chattering demigod away from the others.

"Well, it seems like he is aging faster than what we expected." Percy mused.

"I think that it's only logical for the effect to wear off at growing rates." Annabeth piped up "Now let's get some food."

Nico did get his chocolate chip pancakes with syrup, and was eating them quite happily while sitting on Jason's lap (he was too tall to sit on the table, but too short to sit at the table). They were all pretty much done with breakfast, when suddenly a hellhound came crashing into the pavilion, right beside the Zeus table. Not Mrs. O'Leary. It was an untamed, very much dangerous monster.

Everybody froze. This was not supposed to happen, they had a barrier. Unless someone had called it…

Nico broke everybody out of their stupor by running up to the hellhound saying "Doggy!" in a voice full of glee.

The hellhound, of course, didn't care that it was a child. It was a yummy piece of god spawn, so he lunged. Nico stood his ground, put one hand on his hip and pointed to the ground with the other, saying sternly "Doggy, sit!"

To the befuddlement of all, the monster stopped dead in its tracks and sat down. Oh, right. Children of Hades could control a few creatures of the underworld. Nico must've called the "doggy" because he wanted to play. Percy decided to not test how much longer Nico's power would outmatch the dog's hunger, and slashed through it with Riptide. The hound exploded into dust.

Nico was horrified "Percy! You killed the doggy! Why would you do that?" his eyes were filling up again, so the son of Poseidon rushed once more to his side to stop his tears.

"That was a dangerous doggy. It could've hurt you and I don't want to see you hurt. Do you understand?" Nico sniffed a bit, but nodded "I can call another doggy for you, a nice one. Would you like that?" Another nod. Percy gave a very loud whistle, and sure enough Mrs. O'Leary came running to them.

"Doggy!" Nico took off running to get to the friendly hound, and then began to scratch behind her ears. Percy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Wow, Jackson, that kid has you wrapped around his tiny finger." Clarisse snorted.

"Shut it, Clarisse."

"Why don't you make me?"

"Honestly, I…"

Percy never got to finish his sentence, because a bunch of undead mice started attacking the daughter of Ares. She understandably panicked and tried to smash them, but they just kept reassembling themselves. Nico walked over to them and said:

"Clarisse mean!"

Then went back to playing with his doggy. Everybody started laughing hysterically, and Percy deliberately waited a few more minutes before asking Nico to stop summoning the mice.

Nighttime came, and they all adjourned to Cabin 13. Nico was tired from playing with Mrs. O'Leary all day, and after a nice shower he curled up on Percy's bed and fell asleep in record time.

Everyone at camp knew of their situation now, and all were suitably impressed that five-year-old Nico stared down a hellhound. And even more so that he took on Clarisse and came out unscathed. They almost had to beat the Aphrodite cabin away with sticks, they were sounding like a flock of birds because of the cuteness that was Nico di Angelo. And they also had to almost beat the Ares cabin away, because of the Undead Mice Incident. Luckily Chiron had interfered and argued wisely that the son of Hades was not really responsible for his actions at the moment. But the memory of Clarisse screaming while fighting off skeleton mice would be one Percy would cherish forever.

He crawled into bed and curled protectively around Nico. The sleeping boy snuggled closer to his chest and clutched the fabric of his shirt. Percy fell asleep wondering how much older the other demigod would be in the morning.

* * *

This time he woke up undisturbed. He glanced over at the clock and saw they had about half an hour until breakfast. He looked down and saw that Nico was wearing only an oversized shirt that looked suspiciously familiar.

"Nico, wake up." He nudged the younger demigod gently.

The son of Hades yawned cutely and stared up at Percy.

"Good morning!" he greeted, seemingly in a good mood.

"Good morning. How'd you get new clothes?"

"Oh. The ones I was wearing started feeling really small, so I took them off. And since I couldn't really come back to sleep… naked I got one of your shirts." He was blushing and fidgeting with the hem of his shirt "You're not mad, are you?" he asked anxiously.

"No, I'm not. I was just curious; it must be weird to grow so much in so little time. But let's get you some decent clothes, yeah?" he reached into the diaper bag and pulled an outfit that Nico would be able to wear. He handed the clothes over, but to his surprise Nico merely slipped on his underwear (underneath the covers, he still wouldn't expose himself in front of the green-eyed boy), pants and shoes, deciding to stay with Percy's shirt, even though it reached his thighs.

"You really liked it, huh? Go ahead and keep it. I don't know if it'll fit you once you're all grown up, though…"

Nico beamed at him "Thank you! I loved it! It's so soft… and it smells good." He added the last part quietly, but Percy caught it anyways. He smiled to himself. "Ok, then! Let's wake up Hazel and go get some breakfast!"

* * *

Once more as soon as they got to the dining pavilion they were swarmed by the other concerned demigods.

"Wow, he's aging fast" noted Annabeth.

"Yes, he is. How old are you today, Nico?" Percy asked, taking a moment to reflect how weird a question that was.

"I'm nine." He shrugged, like it should be obvious.

"Well, can you tell us what you were doing that made you fall into Hebe's fountain?" Jason asked.

"Can't… remember" Nico was pressing his fingers to his temples, as if fighting a headache.

"I'm guessing that part of the fountain's spell affects his memories…he only seems to remember key facts about himself and those close to him. I'd wager he'll be back to normal once he reaches seventeen again." Reyna suggested.

"Ok, let's eat!"

"No." Nico crossed his arms and refused to move.

"Why? Aren't you hungry?" Percy asked, tugging on his arm.

"Yes, but I want McDonald's!"

"Too bad, kid. There isn't one close by and we can't leave camp for something like that anyways. Plus, it's not a healthy breakfast."

"I. Want. McDonald's!" was the insistent reply. But before Percy could answer, the shadows enveloped them and they were gone.

The son of Poseidon opened his eyes and realized they were on a parking lot. He looked closer and sure enough, they were on the parking lot of a McDonald's. Stubborn little son of Hades. The child of the Underworld was unconscious, lying on the ground. Percy cursed softly and scooped up the knocked out demigod.

He went inside the fast-food establishment and walked up to the register.

"I'm sorry, we're on a road trip and my car broke down. Could you tell me the address of this place so I can call for help?"

The girl manning the cash register was looking suspiciously at the unresponsive child in his arms, so he added:

"My little brother was sound asleep when it happened. I didn't want to wake him up, but it is dangerous to leave him unattended in the car, don't you think?"

She seemed to accept his explanation and gave him a flyer that had their address on it. And since he was there already, he bought a burger and some fries for himself and a happy meal for Nico. He also bought a bottle of water.

He went outside, walked to a more secluded spot and used the bottle of water to make a rainbow. He tossed a drachma into the mist, made a short prayer asking Iris to accept his offering and soon enough he was face to face with a panicking Hazel.

"Percy! What happened to you guys? Where are you? Are you hurt? Is Nico ok?"

"Hazel, calm down, we're fine. Your thick-headed brother shadow travelled us to a McDonald's, no biggie. We aren't that far from you." He read her the address "Come and get us as soon as you can, ok? Argus should be able to get here in an hour or so."

Hazel nodded and cut their connection. Percy sat down with Nico on his lap and prepared himself for a long wait.

A few minutes later the son of Hades woke up, looking around as if wondering where he was.

"You shadow travelled us to a McDonald's." Percy explained.

"Oh. Can I get some, then?"

"I already bought you a happy meal." He handed the little box over.

"Yay! Thanks, Percy! Can we get ice cream later? Please?" Nico was giving him the puppy dog eyes and damn him, they were working.

"Sure thing, kiddo." He said, then stole a french fry. The smaller demigod didn't seem to mind.

* * *

Hazel eventually got there on the van driven by Argus, and immediately began to fuss over her brother, who was now taking a nap.

"Hazel, he's fine! He kind of has a tummy ache, but that's because he just _had_ to have another ice cream cone!"

"Tummy ache? Who says that anymore?" she laughed while fastening a silver bracelet around her brother's wrist.

"Nine-year-olds, apparently" Percy huffed "And what is that?" he nodded towards the bracelet.

"Oh, Father gave it to me. It'll keep him from shadow travelling away, and it will adjust to his size. We were lucky you wound up here, he could've taken you to China just as easily. Well, not really, he would've passed out for a week if he tried that now." She shrugged.

"Well, that'll come in handy, I guess."

Percy wondered if they could keep the bracelet on Nico even after he got back to normal, so maybe he would spend more time at camp. He smiled at the thought.

"Hey, is it just me or is he a little bit bigger?" Hazel asked.

Now that she mentioned it, Nico was just the slightest bit taller.

"Yeah, he is. I guess I wouldn't make sense for him to only grow up at night. He must be aging a little bit at all times, but we aren't noticing." He shrugged.

"Maybe that's it. Gods, this fountain magic is so weird!"

"You can say that again."

* * *

When the time to go to bed came by, Nico blushed furiously and said he didn't want to sleep with Percy that night. He curled up on Hazel's bed instead. Percy tried to not be offended, but it was no use. He also felt kind of sad. He had liked to see the son of Hades so happy to see him. It made him feel like maybe he hadn't screwed up so badly when it came to Nico di Angelo.

He also tried to not dwell on the fact that he was having a harder time falling asleep. Through all of his ages Nico had slept clutching the front of Percy's shirt, and even though it had only been a couple of nights he already missed it.

* * *

He woke up feeling warm and comfortable. And he could swear that someone was grabbing his shirtfront the way he had gotten used to. He smiled. He had no idea why, but that was a great feeling. Wait, someone _was_ grabbing his shirtfront. He opened his eyes and saw Nico, who was lying right beside him, sleeping soundly. He smiled and nudged his shoulder.

The teen groaned but opened his eyes, and when he realized where he was, with _whom_ he was, he jumped up and began spouting apologies.

"I'm sorry! I got up in the middle of the night to change clothes, and my sense of direction might've been a bit off…"

"Nico, it's ok. How'd you get those anyway? Did you learn how to use the magic diaper bag?"

"The magic what? No, I still had some clothes here from when I was this old, so I just got them from my own drawers." He shrugged.

"Oh. And the magic diaper bag is where we were getting all the stuff for you." He pointed at it "You imagine what you want and there it is! Oh, how old are you today?"

"Fourteen." His voice cracked at that and Percy had to stifle a laugh.

"Oh, so you should be back to normal by tonight!"

"Yeah, seems like it. Now let's change and go get breakfast."

* * *

The day went by quickly. Nico didn't really need adult supervision anymore, so he didn't hang around the son of Poseidon nearly as much. Percy gathered his things to go back to his cabin. After all, Hazel didn't need help taking care of her brother. He didn't like the prospect of sleeping alone in his cabin, but what was he supposed to do?

Right after lunch Nico had to go change his clothes, as they were already a bit snug. It seemed like the fountain magic was really wearing off quickly now.

"How old are you now?" asked Jason.

"Hm, feels like fifteen."

"That is so weird. How can you tell anyways?" asked Piper warily. She could not get over the fact that Nico was scared of her. What had she done?

"I don't know, I just do." He answered with typical teenage moodiness.

"Can you remember what you were doing the day you fell into the fountain now?" asked Reyna.

"No, not really. And could you please not mention that? Every time I think about it I get a wicked headache."

"Do you remember what you did on the last couple of days?" inquired Frank, curious.

Nico blushed brightly.

"I'll take that as a yes." laughed Hazel.

"I remember a lot of it, but the brain of a hyperactive kid doesn't keep memories that well. So the past couple of days are kind of blurry, I can't remember any details."

"What you did to Clarisse was awesome, though. And the hellhound! You were a toddler with nerves of steel!" Leo said excitedly.

The son of Hades laughed at that, and Percy thought briefly he really liked that sound.

They knew it had to be over when Nico fainted in the middle of dinner. He'd decided to wear slightly oversized clothes so he wouldn't have to change every couple of hours, so no one would have to undress him. Percy dropped his silverware and hurried over to the Hades table. He checked for a pulse, and relief flooded him when he found one. He slid his arms around Nico's back and under his knees and carried him into Cabin 13, being followed by the usual bunch of demigods.

They gathered around the bed the son of Hades currently occupied, waiting patiently for him to wake up. Some Apollo campers had already come by and said that it was only a matter of time, and that there was nothing to worry about. And sure enough, after an hour or so the unconscious half-blood began to stir.

He groaned and sat up, rubbing the back of his head. Hazel was the first to move, enveloping him in a bone-crushing hug.

"Nico! We're so glad you're finally ok!" She said happily. Then her expression turned serious, and she demanded "Where were you? What the hell were you doing that got you into this mess?"

"Ok, let me go Hazel, I need to breathe!" She backed off some "Thank you. As for where I was, I don't really know. Somewhere in southern Europe. I was following an… aura, I guess. But it wasn't what I was looking for, it was Hebe's fountain. I don't know how I fell in, though. I clearly remember thinking it would be better to turn back and leave." He frowned.

"Oh, that? Father said Hebe didn't like that you found her fountain so easily, so she made you slip and fall in." Hazel shrugged. "But why were you following an aura? What were you looking for?"

"Not important. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to leave. My last lead turned me into a newborn, so I have to start over." He made to get out of the bed, but Hazel pinned him down.

"No. Not until we can understand this mess. Tell us what you were looking for, and maybe we can help you!" she pleaded.

"You have other things to explain too. Why don't you like Annabeth? And why are you scared of me?" Piper asked.

"Where did you get that idea?" Nico said, but even to him it sounded insincere.

"When you were about two we took turns holding you. You cried when Annabeth held you, and you wouldn't even let me get close. So cut the crap and tell us, please."

"Don't forget that he cried when I held him too." Percy interjected, then added "But then you wouldn't let me go. What was that all about? You obviously have some issues with us, why don't you come clean?"

"Maybe you should talk to us." Jason said, giving Nico a look that said _Come on, now is your chance. Tell him. Get it out of your chest._

People were still talking, asking Nico to explain things to them. He sighed in defeat. Running away and hiding was tiring. If he confessed he could focus on only running away. _After all_, he thought, _there is no way this won't get awkward._

"Ok, ok, now if you will all just shut up for a minute, maybe I can start." That effectively quieted the overlapping voices.

"Good. Now as for what I was looking for… well, I was looking for Aphrodite's Bane."

There was a sharp intake of breath from Annabeth, but everybody else just gave him a blank stare.

"Annabeth, you seem familiar with that myth. Why don't you tell them?" Nico asked.

"Hm, ok, sure." she said, and began the story "It is said that a long time ago, Styx was heartbroken. No one remembers by whom, but that is not important. She lost her faith in Love. Remember that Styx is also the personification of hatred, and so she sought a way to have her revenge. Not against her lover, but against Love itself. The myth says that Styx let a single drop of her river fall into the mortal world, and from that drop sprouted a plant. Some say it was a tree, some say it was a shrub, but all called the plant by the same name: Aphrodite's Bane."

"What does it do?" asked Percy. A plant with a name as ominous as that could not be good.

"The fruit from this plant is said to…" she hesitated but went on "… eliminate one's ability to feel romantic love. Styx said it was her gift to mankind, the ultimate medicine for heartbreak." She frowned "But only the most desperate person seeks such a solution. Why were you looking for it, Nico?"

Jason was staring at Nico, his gaze full of pity. The rest just seemed confused. After all, romance was not something they associated with the Ghost King: he was the ultimate loner.

"Isn't it obvious? I'm sick of Love, I wanted to get rid of it. It takes up too much of my time, and…" he swallowed thickly "it just hurts, ok? And I want it to be over. I'll die alone, but at least it will be painless."

"That's not what I meant, and you know it." Annabeth stated plainly.

"Well, might as well get it over with." He took a deep breath "Ever since I was ten, I kind of fell for someone. And it hasn't really gone away, I tried everything but I can't get over it. I'm weak that way. I got tired of watching… them be happy with someone else, so I ran. Not even being as far as physically possible helped, so yeah, you could say I got desperate. I heard about Aphrodite's Bane, and I thought it suited me perfectly. I wouldn't be bothered by my feelings anymore and I could still enjoy the few friendships I do have, as well as continue loving my dear sister." he smiled at Hazel "My reasoning was that since the plant came from Styx, and it is a river from the Underworld, maybe I could sense it. I started my search on Europe and followed an aura. As you already know, it was actually coming from Hebe's fountain. I don't even know why I was able to pick that up. Maybe my old soul made me sensitive to it, who knows." He shrugged.

"You are deliberately stalling." Annabeth accused. "And you still haven't told us who it is. But you said since you were ten… the only people you really knew then was me, Percy and Thalia." Nico nodded, encouraging her to go on. He really didn't want to say it. "You also said that you got tired of watching them be happy with someone else…so that rules out Thalia. Eternal maiden and all. Nico, were you hurting over… me?"

Nico smiled "I wish, Annabeth. It would have made my life so much easier, and made everything else a lot less painful. No, this wasn't about you."

"Then… but it couldn't be… Thalia?" she guessed again.

"Come on, daughter of Wisdom, you know better than that…" he taunted. He was about to reveal something huge about himself, he might as well have some fun as a distraction from all the fear and anxiety churning in his chest.

Annabeth's eyes widened, and she said "You don't dislike me, do you? You were jealous of me… The one you fell for is Percy, isn't it?"

Nico gave her a sad smile and nodded.

"Well, now that you said it, I guess it was particularly obvious these last couple of days…" Hazel began "He was overly attached to you, blushed a lot and you told me" she said to Percy "he freaked out when you took your clothes off near him," Nico blushed brightly at that "but he had no problem helping me get dressed."

"He also defended you from Clarisse!" Leo reminded him with a smirk.

Percy's eyes were as wide as possible, while his mouth hung open: he was shocked into absolute silence.

"That's why you were afraid of me!" Piper said, stepping closer to the bed "You were afraid I would be able to tell you had… feelings for Percy. That's it, isn't it?"

The son of Hades nodded once more.

"You know, I should be offended you think so lowly of me. Even if I did figure it out, I wouldn't go around telling people, unless you told me it was ok. Just because I am a daughter of Aphrodite doesn't mean I like to gossip! But I guess I understand."

"I'm really sorry, Piper, I just… couldn't risk anybody else knowing."

"Anybody else? Who…" she wondered.

"Jason." Nico answered the unfinished question. "But I didn't tell him. When we were in Croatia we had to confront Cupid to get the scepter. And he made me admit who I loved in exchange for it. Jason just happened to be there. As you can see, my experience with children of Aphrodite is not exactly positive."

"Oh. I apologize on behalf of my idiot half-brother." She hugged him. He hesitantly hugged her back, surprising them both "Not that it counts for much, but still." She added. Nico laughed a little, but it was muffled against her chest.

"Are we good?" she asked, breaking their embrace.

"Yes, I suppose we are." He smiled truthfully at her.

"And since I am apologizing: I'm sorry, Annabeth. I disliked you for something that wasn't your fault. Well, I never disliked you, not really. It was just easier that way."

"Oh, Nico!" she said hugging him too. He hugged her back, as being jealous of her did make him feel bad. Grudges were a nasty thing, and he felt lighter now that he was coming clean "It's ok, I understand. It makes sense, though.I am kind of berating myself for not seeing it sooner. I'm sorry too, for all the times I hurt you by being overly couple-y in public."

"It's ok, really. Nothing you could've done about that."

"Are you going to apologize for not laughing at my jokes too?" Leo, as usual, tried to lighten the mood.

"Shut it, Leo. Don't ruin their moment." Reyna said with her Praetor Tone.

"Uhh, guys? Could you give us a moment alone?" Percy, seemingly recovered asked shyly.

"Sure, just one more thing:" Reyna started "Thank you for telling us, Nico. And just so you know no one's opinion of you changed. We love you, ok?" she hugged him briefly and then added "Jackson, you break his heart, I'll break your bones. Got it?"

Percy didn't trust his voice to not come out squeaky, so he nodded.

"Great!" Hazel chirped. She really wanted those two to sort things out. It'll be easier to do it if they don't have an audience. So, using a tone that left no room for complaints, she said "Everybody out!"

After the cabin had been emptied until only the two demigods were left, Percy approached the bed slowly and sat on the edge of the bed.

"Hey." He said awkwardly.

"Hey."

"You're not really making this any easier…"

Nico raised an eyebrow.

"Ok, ok, that was a stupid thing to say…" Percy admitted.

The son of Hades gave him a tiny smile, so he counted that as a win.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Why do you _think_? Was I supposed to walk up to your cabin, knock and then say" he put on a fake smile and then said in an overly cheery tone "'Hey, Percy! Sorry to interrupt your make-out session with your beautiful girlfriend, but I have to tell you that I've had a crush on you since I was ten and every time you're affectionate towards your girlfriend it kills me a little bit. Have a great day!'" his smile dropped.

"Did it really?"

"Did it really what?"

"Kill you? Well, not literally, I know that. But did it really hurt that bad to see me and Annabeth?"

"It sure as hell wasn't pleasant."

"I'm sorry. For not noticing, for…"

"You have nothing to apologize over. It's not your fault I'm….this way. It's not really your fault I fell for you. It's definitely not your fault that I can't get over you." His voice grew panicked "But I will, I promise. I'm trying really hard, and when I find Aphrodite's Bane everything will be ok. I'll be fine."

"You'll be numb! How could you even think about giving up completely in love?"

"Being numb is better than hurting all the time! Wondering why you're alone, why can't anybody love you… I couldn't accept myself, Percy. Other than Jason, no one else knew. So I couldn't even go out with someone else to try to forget you. I've… I've never even been kissed." He blushed a lovely shade of pink.

"That's ok. The only reason I even had a girlfriend was because Annabeth did something about it… What I'm trying to say is, I'm horrible when it comes to figuring out my feelings, or reading people."

"No kidding. But you said you _had_ a girlfriend. Do you need to work on your grammar or did something happen with you guys?" Nico sounded genuinely concerned about him.

"We wanted different things. She wanted to go to college and become an architect; she's actually enrolled in a college in New Rome, only here for the summer. As for me… I don't even know. I'm twenty years old and I have no idea what to do with my life. And doesn't it bother you to talk about… her?"

"It's endearing that you're actually taking my feelings into consideration, but no, it doesn't bother me anymore. I gave up on you a long time ago, and although that doesn't mean it hurts any less, it helped me deal with Annabeth. I tried to hate her, because of the petty feelings of jealousy she brought out on me. It made me feel… heavy to have such negative emotions just because of her, and I'm happy we made up. But you are ok, right?"

"Yes, thanks for asking." Percy smiled "How can you not see how amazing you are?"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, here we are talking about your long-time crush on me, and there are so many ways you could be horrible about it! You could be guilt-tripping me, making me feel like crap;" he held up his fingers, counting "You could be snapping at me for even mentioning Annabeth; you could have summoned some nasty things to drive me away… And I could go on forever. Instead we are having a civil conversation and _you_ are actually concerned about _me_. And to top it off you aren't even happy about my breakup."

"I told you, I gave up on you. And I always wanted you to be happy, even if it wasn't with me. Plus, you having a girlfriend was the least of my problems. You being as straight as a ruler, though…" he flushed a bright red and cut himself off "… never mind."

"So if I was bi you would've made a move on me?" Percy said teasingly.

Nico blushed harder.

"No, I wouldn't have the guts to do it. And please don't make fun of me."

"Oh, sorry! I was just trying to lighten up the mood."

"Yeah, I know. But there was no other way to let you know it made me uncomfortable, so…"

"But anyway, me being straight was the biggest problem for you?"

"Well, yeah. But Percy, even if you were gay, you're…"

"I'm what?"

"You're going to make me say it, aren't you? Fine. Even if you were gay, you are still out of my league. But yes, you being straight was kind of the main issue."

"I'm not sure, though."

"You're not sure you're straight?" Nico said with wide eyes.

"Not really. It's not like I stared at guys wondering if I was attracted to them or not. And after I started dating, there was no reason for me to look at men. I just never really considered it. I guess being in the middle of two wars makes it difficult to think about your sexuality." He shrugged.

"Oh. Ok." The son of Hades deflated a bit, staring at the mattress, cursing his hopefulness.

"But the truth is…" Percy began, and Nico forced himself to look at him "I liked taking care of you. Your laugh is probably the most adorable sound I've ever heard, and every time I made you cry it was like getting stung by a manticore. I don't know… is just." he shrugged helplessly.

"Maybe you just like children." Nico offered, trying to keep his traitorous heart from stuttering in his chest.

"I don't think so. All I wanted was for you to get back to normal, so _you_ could hug me like you did when you were under Hebe's spell. It made me so happy that you were so… attached to me. Really. When you began to drift away again, it hurt. So I don't think it was because you were a cute kid."

"Are you trying to tell me that you might like me back?"

"Yes." Percy was relieved Nico could translate his ramblings into something understandable.

"Then… can I try something?" the son of Hades asked hesitantly.

"Sure." Percy had an idea of what he wanted to try, and it made him both happy and nervous. Nico crawled forward and enveloped the green-eyed boy in a hug, gently like he was afraid of hurting him.

The son of Poseidon sighed contently and wrapped his arms around the pale demigod. Nico looked up at him and gave him a dazzling smile. Percy was fully aware he was staring, and from the soft laughter coming from the other boy he noticed too. He really couldn't help himself, so he joined their lips. Nico's lips were soft and warm, and they tasted faintly of chocolate.

"Oh, sorry! I should've asked you first…" Percy said after breaking the kiss.

"You don't have to ask." Was the amused reply "Such a gentleman." He teased, and then kissed the other half-blood's neck just below his ear, smiling when Percy shivered at the contact.

"Well, I pride myself in being well-mannered." he said in a snooty tone, hoping Nico hadn't noticed his reaction. But judging by that smile, he had "Now may I kiss you?"

"Yes, you may." The Ghost King replied with the same snooty tone of voice.

They kissed again, slowly, passionately, and Nico was suddenly very glad he'd fallen into Hebe's fountain.

* * *

**[A/N] Hello!**

**Thank you for reading! Feedback is lovely, but please note that English is not my native language...**

**And in case you were wondering about Aphrodite's Bane, I made the whole thing up. There is no such myth. That I know of, anyway.**

**Ok, I'm done. Hope you guys enjoyed it!**


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